Injuries to or conditions of the wrist can be difficult to treat because of the many different motions that must be taken into account. The wrist is capable of six different motions: flexion, extension, radial deviation, ulnar deviation, supination, and pronation. Treatment involving the wrist should involve all six motions to achieve full rotation. Numerous conditions or injuries require treatment by hand therapists, one of the most prevalent is carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition resulting from the compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel, characterized by disturbances of sensation in the area of the skin supplied by the median nerve, pain on sharp flexion of the wrist, edema of the fingers, tense and shiny skin, and atrophy of the thenar muscles. These symptoms are particularly prevalent in the first three fingers of the hand. The compression of the median nerve characterizing carpal tunnel syndrome can occur from prolonged repetitive activity involving the hands such as typing.
Treatment for wrist injuries including carpal tunnel syndrome can involve wearing a wrist brace or possibly surgery in addition to a regimen of exercises. Several devices have been marketed as exercisers for the treatment of wrist conditions or injuries that employ the maneuvering of an object around a track. These previous exercisers have suffered from a number of defects. First, the tracks are shaped Such that they do not require the use of all six wrist motions to navigate them and they contain straight or only mildly curved sections allowing the patient to use gravity to maneuver the bead instead of the wrist action, thereby significantly lessening the therapeutic effect. Secondly, the handles employed are not shaped to reduce the grip pressure needed to hold them and can require or encourage the patient to grip too tightly which can aggravate, not alleviate, the condition. Exercise regimens to relieve wrist conditions are often lengthy and require the patient to carry exercise equipment with them. The previous exercisers have been made of inflexible materials and due to their bulky nature are inconvenient to transport. The present invention provides an exercise device that is convenient to transport so that the patient will carry it with him and complete his exercise regimen.
A wire loop amusement game is described by U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,329 issued to L. Biedny on May 11, 1971. The game includes a handle, a wire track, a plurality of beads and a spring member adjacent to the handle and in contact with the beads. The purpose of the game is to move the beads one at a time from one end of the track to the other utilizing the spring member to supply the necessary force. The game is not designed to fully exercise the wrist and, therefore, does not teach the therapeutic motion Or apparatus required to treat wrist injuries, especially carpal tunnel syndrome. Additionally, even if used in such a manner as to maneuver the beads using the players wrist, the game is not suitable for treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome for numerous reasons.
First, the track of the game lies in a single plane and requires a planar forward and back repetitive movement of the wrist to manipulate the beads. This planar movement mimics the type of repetitive motion that can cause wrist injuries or conditions. Second, due to the linear nature of the track, the bead mainly uses gravity to move. This results in little wrist movement, and therefore, very little therapeutic benefit.